Persepolis
Persepolis was the capital of a very tolerant Iranian empire. Depictions of peoples of many different costumes and animals uncovered by archeologists indicate the city was a melting pot of many cultures united together: Indians, Arabs, Persians, Egyptians, and more. The state religion of Zoroastrianism, while practiced by the Persian leaders, was not imposed upon the peoples of the other cultures. Everyone was welcome to worship the god(s) of their choosing at public temples. Public records and announcements were recorded in three languages in order to be understood by as many people as possible, and public services were given in a neutral, invented language (using the Phoenician alphabet) that even Persians had to learn separately. The city was designed in every way to make all different kinds of people feel welcome; the empire did not control; rather, it united.
The Shah
The Shah was the king of the Persian Empire. The most famous ancient Shahs are Xerxes and Darius I; these benevolent leaders embodied the ideal of their empire by not controlling, but uniting. While great conquerors, they were not tyrannical. They believed in protecting the will and good of their people, no matter their race, ethnicity, religion, or socioeconomic status. Darius wrote at his burial site that he “protected the wealthy from harming the poor” and brought “peace.” The leaders were even worshiped as Gods in some distant regions of the empire, such as Egypt, for their benevolent acts.
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi
The last Shah of Iran had western-friendly foreign policy and promoted industrial and economic development up until fleeing revolt in his country in 1979. With secret support of the United States in the early 1950’s, he put down nationalist opposition and initiated the government program White Revolution, which expanded rail, road, and air transport networks, supported industrial growth, built dams, and even eradicated malaria from the country. It also established bodies to promote literacy and health among rural populations. The west supported the westernization of Iran to protect their own growing oil interests. These changes, however, faced opposition as many believed they were contradictory to Islamic beliefs. Additionally, many Iranians grew unhappy with his autocracy, unequal distribution of oil wealth, and his harsh suppression to opposing opinions. He was forced to flee to the United States in 1979, promoting Iranian revolutionaries to take 50 Americans hostage during the Iranian Hostage Crisis demanding his release back to Iran.
Ruhollah Khomeini
Khomeini lead the revolt against the Iranian Shah in 1979. The son of a Shiite Cleric and raised in Islamic school his entire life, he preached core Islamic teachings and rejected the growing westernization of Iran. Supporters of his ideals declared him grand Ayatollah (head Shiite religious figure) by the 1960’s, and he used his great influence to speak out against the Shah’s westernization. His arrest and excite caused outrage in the late 1960’s, and he continued to grow this outrage against the Shah by smuggling recorded messages back home. In 1979, his words united an angry youth population caused the overthrow of the Shah and he returned to Iran as supreme leader of the new Islamic government. Despite his hostile foreign policy towards both eastern and western superpowers causing economic turmoil in Iran, and his unrelenting pursuit of the Iran-Iraq war failing to overthrow Saddam Hussein of Iraq, he managed to hold onto popularity and his orignial Islamic government remains in Iran today.
Youth in Iran (Pre 1979)
Much like today’s youth advocating for change in Iran, the Iranian youth started the revolution in 1979. The first protests came from students of Madrassas (Islamic Schools), angered at criticism of Ruhollah Khomeini in state newspapers. Soon after, thousands more unemployed youth, angered at the unshared economic wealth and prosperity in the country as well as suppression of their rights, joined the protests. The revolution, which started in the countryside, first started in Tehran at the University of Tehran. The Shiite islam students there served as “center of opposition to the regime.” On November 5, a deadly conflict broke out at the university between students and soldiers, quickly spreading throughout the city in full scale riot. Western shops, government offices, and British and American embassies were burned to the ground, organized by young men from Mosques and the University. This event, which became known as “The Day Iran Burned” also marked the start of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, where young Iranians took 50 Americans hostage at the embassy.
The youth’s resistance to western imperialism, however, dates back even further. In 1953, three students died protesting US Vice President Nixon’s visit to the country; this event is still celebrated as a holiday, the students remembered as heroic martyrs (at least according to the government).
Youth in Iran (Today)
The youth in Iran today are well summarized as pacifist western revolutionaries on the rise. Overshadowed by older Islamic traditionalists in power, they crave more western freedoms. Just like their elders, they know about western life; however in contrast, the modern youth embrace western traditions. Iranian youth increasingly speak their mind, drink booze, party between the sexes, go through life without headscarves, and many other minor violations of the strict Islamic law. For example, in May 2014, some Iranian youth made a western-style music video to Pharrell’s happy (below), featuring men and women dancing enthusiastically together in the same shot, wearing goofy clothing and sunglasses, not headscarves. As such acts are strictly forbidden by islamic law, the perpetrators were sentenced to 91 lashes and 3 years in prison for “hurting public chastity.” After international and domestic outrage, the sentences were suspended under the condition they apologize on state television (which they did) and don’t violate the law again for three years. This turn of events demonstrates the free desires of modern Iran’s youth, the conflict within Iran between powerful conservative leaders (who can fall under pressure from the youth), and the changing times in the nation.
The youth make up a large part of Iran’s population, but more importantly, a huge part of their unemployment. One in four young men is unable to find a job and among educated young women, fifty percent are unemployed. After a disputed election between traditionalists and reformists in 2009, many youth were outraged and protested. The resistance was silenced by the government, with the youth leaders taking the brute of the punishment. These two factors, along with growing awareness of western freedoms by the internet, youth in Iran grow increasingly dissatisfied.
Women in Iran (Pre 1979)
Women in ancient Persia were treated with respect and in high regard. They had right to wealth, important occupations, and earned the same rations as men in their same position. Additionally, archeological discoveries of tablets indicate that many women travelled around the empire freely and even established their own estates.
Under the Shah’s rule before the Islamic revolution, women’s rights became solidified in law. Women had access to important position in government such as ministers of parliament, as well as any private occupation they wished. The minimum legal marriage age was raised from 13 to 15 to 18, female literacy rates climbed, and husbands were required to go to court if he wished for a divorce. The Shah, however, might have gone too far. He enacted a law banning Islamic headscarves, as they were encouraged by revolutionaries and traditionally seen as a symbol of female injustice. Some Islamic women viewed this law as restricted freedoms of religion and resulted in headscarves being used during the revolution by many women as a symbol of rebellion.
Women, especially young women from the University of Tehran (where else?) took a large part in the Revolution, largely women’s first major exercise of their equality in the country. They wore Islamic headscarves, called Hijabs (see picture), to show their support for the Ayatollah.
Women in Iran (Post 1979)
Surprisingly, women have a larger Iran compared to many Islamic nations. Iran has the second highest female to male ratio of primary education students in the world, 1.22:1. Iran has the highest number of women in engineering, 140 licenced female publishers, and nearly 30% of government ministers are women. These statistics, much like the Iranian constitution, can be misleading. The constitution states men and women have right to equality and fair treatment as long as one condition is met: Islamic law is followed. This asterisk is a big one; Iran’s definition of Islamic law discriminates women as mere caretakers of the family and house. Nearly immediately after conservative Islamists took power, they enforced such discriminatory laws against Women. Modern Iranian women cannot appear in public without Hijabs, cannot attend public sports matches, and cannot work past daylight hours (they should be taking care of the home). Women and Men are also treated differently when it comes to criminal prosecution, marriage, and travel restrictions. While Iranian women certainly have far more rights than many women under fundamental Islam, such as to vote, drive, and appear in public, they are still considered second class citizens, inferior to men. Women may only inherit half what men can and are only worth half the fine in a court of law. Efforts to achieve equality for women in Iran have been growing, as many western-style reforms have, but have also been increasingly suppressed by conservatives in the country. Women’s rights activists get more active by the day in Iran.
Martyrs
Martyrs were the fuel for the fire of the Iranian revolution. WIth roots in the Muslim Karbala story, where a massacre inspired the people to overthrow a the tyrant Caliph, Yazid, the Iranian Ayatollah preached that the people must overthrow the Shah as justice for all who died in protests. His words sparked more protests, then more deaths, and therefore more martyrs to fuel the fire of revolution. This cycle repeated every forty days, as it is Shiite tradition to mourn a loss exactly forty days after death. These mass mournings frequently evolved into violent clashes with soldiers attempting to contain the angry crowds. During these clashes, protesters could be seen symbolically covering their hands in the blood of those shot dead. Even today, the sacrifice of three Iranian students, standing up to western influence back in the 1950’s, is still celebrated as a national holiday.
Fundamental Islam
Islamic Fundamentalism is the belief that the Qur’an is the literal word of God and must be adhered to strictly in all aspects of life. Fundamental Islamists make no distinction between religion, politics, and society; all three should be one under Islamic teachings. Followers believe that humans are naturally creatures of God and religion at the core. All of the world happens by and following the will of God; the human mind is God’s gift so man can understand his teachings. These Fundamental Islamists took control of the Iranian revolution, lead by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. This belief in religious society juxtaposes traditional western ideals of a secular democracy, which is why Fundamental Islam was able to rally so many followers in 1979. People viewed themselves as anti-western and anti-capitalist; Fundamental Islam embodied opposition to western Imperialism.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected president of Iran in 2005 by a landslide victory, collecting 17 of 27 million votes. Portraying himself as a man of the people, he promised equality for women, economic reform, and refused the traditional luxuries of leadership. He had cheap furniture in the presidential residence, dressed simply, and even traveled via cargo plane. HIs policies, however, demonstrate the juxtaposition of ideals in power between reformists and conservatives. Largely considered a Ayatollah puppet by western governments, he heavily censored western media, advocated for gender segregated elevators, and demanded government men grow Islamic beards. To stay popular with the people, he advocated for women to attend sports games, and increased funding for social services. However, he failed to deliver on the promise of fixing the economic crisis; unemployment and inflation continued to rise. When the 2009 election came around, he won with a very controversial victory. Angered at the likelihood for vote manipulation, Iranians protested in mass numbers. Initially, protests were peaceful, but harsh crackdown from the President quickly turned them violent. After heavy censorship of media and up to 100 deaths, the government did manage to stop protests and he remained in power. His term saw hardline anti-western policy, the growth of Iran’s nuclear program, and heavy anti-Israel propaganda.
Persepolis was the capital of a very tolerant Iranian empire. Depictions of peoples of many different costumes and animals uncovered by archeologists indicate the city was a melting pot of many cultures united together: Indians, Arabs, Persians, Egyptians, and more. The state religion of Zoroastrianism, while practiced by the Persian leaders, was not imposed upon the peoples of the other cultures. Everyone was welcome to worship the god(s) of their choosing at public temples. Public records and announcements were recorded in three languages in order to be understood by as many people as possible, and public services were given in a neutral, invented language (using the Phoenician alphabet) that even Persians had to learn separately. The city was designed in every way to make all different kinds of people feel welcome; the empire did not control; rather, it united.
The Shah
The Shah was the king of the Persian Empire. The most famous ancient Shahs are Xerxes and Darius I; these benevolent leaders embodied the ideal of their empire by not controlling, but uniting. While great conquerors, they were not tyrannical. They believed in protecting the will and good of their people, no matter their race, ethnicity, religion, or socioeconomic status. Darius wrote at his burial site that he “protected the wealthy from harming the poor” and brought “peace.” The leaders were even worshiped as Gods in some distant regions of the empire, such as Egypt, for their benevolent acts.
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi
The last Shah of Iran had western-friendly foreign policy and promoted industrial and economic development up until fleeing revolt in his country in 1979. With secret support of the United States in the early 1950’s, he put down nationalist opposition and initiated the government program White Revolution, which expanded rail, road, and air transport networks, supported industrial growth, built dams, and even eradicated malaria from the country. It also established bodies to promote literacy and health among rural populations. The west supported the westernization of Iran to protect their own growing oil interests. These changes, however, faced opposition as many believed they were contradictory to Islamic beliefs. Additionally, many Iranians grew unhappy with his autocracy, unequal distribution of oil wealth, and his harsh suppression to opposing opinions. He was forced to flee to the United States in 1979, promoting Iranian revolutionaries to take 50 Americans hostage during the Iranian Hostage Crisis demanding his release back to Iran.
Ruhollah Khomeini
Khomeini lead the revolt against the Iranian Shah in 1979. The son of a Shiite Cleric and raised in Islamic school his entire life, he preached core Islamic teachings and rejected the growing westernization of Iran. Supporters of his ideals declared him grand Ayatollah (head Shiite religious figure) by the 1960’s, and he used his great influence to speak out against the Shah’s westernization. His arrest and excite caused outrage in the late 1960’s, and he continued to grow this outrage against the Shah by smuggling recorded messages back home. In 1979, his words united an angry youth population caused the overthrow of the Shah and he returned to Iran as supreme leader of the new Islamic government. Despite his hostile foreign policy towards both eastern and western superpowers causing economic turmoil in Iran, and his unrelenting pursuit of the Iran-Iraq war failing to overthrow Saddam Hussein of Iraq, he managed to hold onto popularity and his orignial Islamic government remains in Iran today.
Youth in Iran (Pre 1979)
Much like today’s youth advocating for change in Iran, the Iranian youth started the revolution in 1979. The first protests came from students of Madrassas (Islamic Schools), angered at criticism of Ruhollah Khomeini in state newspapers. Soon after, thousands more unemployed youth, angered at the unshared economic wealth and prosperity in the country as well as suppression of their rights, joined the protests. The revolution, which started in the countryside, first started in Tehran at the University of Tehran. The Shiite islam students there served as “center of opposition to the regime.” On November 5, a deadly conflict broke out at the university between students and soldiers, quickly spreading throughout the city in full scale riot. Western shops, government offices, and British and American embassies were burned to the ground, organized by young men from Mosques and the University. This event, which became known as “The Day Iran Burned” also marked the start of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, where young Iranians took 50 Americans hostage at the embassy.
The youth’s resistance to western imperialism, however, dates back even further. In 1953, three students died protesting US Vice President Nixon’s visit to the country; this event is still celebrated as a holiday, the students remembered as heroic martyrs (at least according to the government).
Youth in Iran (Today)
The youth in Iran today are well summarized as pacifist western revolutionaries on the rise. Overshadowed by older Islamic traditionalists in power, they crave more western freedoms. Just like their elders, they know about western life; however in contrast, the modern youth embrace western traditions. Iranian youth increasingly speak their mind, drink booze, party between the sexes, go through life without headscarves, and many other minor violations of the strict Islamic law. For example, in May 2014, some Iranian youth made a western-style music video to Pharrell’s happy (below), featuring men and women dancing enthusiastically together in the same shot, wearing goofy clothing and sunglasses, not headscarves. As such acts are strictly forbidden by islamic law, the perpetrators were sentenced to 91 lashes and 3 years in prison for “hurting public chastity.” After international and domestic outrage, the sentences were suspended under the condition they apologize on state television (which they did) and don’t violate the law again for three years. This turn of events demonstrates the free desires of modern Iran’s youth, the conflict within Iran between powerful conservative leaders (who can fall under pressure from the youth), and the changing times in the nation.
The youth make up a large part of Iran’s population, but more importantly, a huge part of their unemployment. One in four young men is unable to find a job and among educated young women, fifty percent are unemployed. After a disputed election between traditionalists and reformists in 2009, many youth were outraged and protested. The resistance was silenced by the government, with the youth leaders taking the brute of the punishment. These two factors, along with growing awareness of western freedoms by the internet, youth in Iran grow increasingly dissatisfied.
Women in Iran (Pre 1979)
Women in ancient Persia were treated with respect and in high regard. They had right to wealth, important occupations, and earned the same rations as men in their same position. Additionally, archeological discoveries of tablets indicate that many women travelled around the empire freely and even established their own estates.
Under the Shah’s rule before the Islamic revolution, women’s rights became solidified in law. Women had access to important position in government such as ministers of parliament, as well as any private occupation they wished. The minimum legal marriage age was raised from 13 to 15 to 18, female literacy rates climbed, and husbands were required to go to court if he wished for a divorce. The Shah, however, might have gone too far. He enacted a law banning Islamic headscarves, as they were encouraged by revolutionaries and traditionally seen as a symbol of female injustice. Some Islamic women viewed this law as restricted freedoms of religion and resulted in headscarves being used during the revolution by many women as a symbol of rebellion.
Women, especially young women from the University of Tehran (where else?) took a large part in the Revolution, largely women’s first major exercise of their equality in the country. They wore Islamic headscarves, called Hijabs (see picture), to show their support for the Ayatollah.
Women in Iran (Post 1979)
Surprisingly, women have a larger Iran compared to many Islamic nations. Iran has the second highest female to male ratio of primary education students in the world, 1.22:1. Iran has the highest number of women in engineering, 140 licenced female publishers, and nearly 30% of government ministers are women. These statistics, much like the Iranian constitution, can be misleading. The constitution states men and women have right to equality and fair treatment as long as one condition is met: Islamic law is followed. This asterisk is a big one; Iran’s definition of Islamic law discriminates women as mere caretakers of the family and house. Nearly immediately after conservative Islamists took power, they enforced such discriminatory laws against Women. Modern Iranian women cannot appear in public without Hijabs, cannot attend public sports matches, and cannot work past daylight hours (they should be taking care of the home). Women and Men are also treated differently when it comes to criminal prosecution, marriage, and travel restrictions. While Iranian women certainly have far more rights than many women under fundamental Islam, such as to vote, drive, and appear in public, they are still considered second class citizens, inferior to men. Women may only inherit half what men can and are only worth half the fine in a court of law. Efforts to achieve equality for women in Iran have been growing, as many western-style reforms have, but have also been increasingly suppressed by conservatives in the country. Women’s rights activists get more active by the day in Iran.
Martyrs
Martyrs were the fuel for the fire of the Iranian revolution. WIth roots in the Muslim Karbala story, where a massacre inspired the people to overthrow a the tyrant Caliph, Yazid, the Iranian Ayatollah preached that the people must overthrow the Shah as justice for all who died in protests. His words sparked more protests, then more deaths, and therefore more martyrs to fuel the fire of revolution. This cycle repeated every forty days, as it is Shiite tradition to mourn a loss exactly forty days after death. These mass mournings frequently evolved into violent clashes with soldiers attempting to contain the angry crowds. During these clashes, protesters could be seen symbolically covering their hands in the blood of those shot dead. Even today, the sacrifice of three Iranian students, standing up to western influence back in the 1950’s, is still celebrated as a national holiday.
Fundamental Islam
Islamic Fundamentalism is the belief that the Qur’an is the literal word of God and must be adhered to strictly in all aspects of life. Fundamental Islamists make no distinction between religion, politics, and society; all three should be one under Islamic teachings. Followers believe that humans are naturally creatures of God and religion at the core. All of the world happens by and following the will of God; the human mind is God’s gift so man can understand his teachings. These Fundamental Islamists took control of the Iranian revolution, lead by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. This belief in religious society juxtaposes traditional western ideals of a secular democracy, which is why Fundamental Islam was able to rally so many followers in 1979. People viewed themselves as anti-western and anti-capitalist; Fundamental Islam embodied opposition to western Imperialism.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected president of Iran in 2005 by a landslide victory, collecting 17 of 27 million votes. Portraying himself as a man of the people, he promised equality for women, economic reform, and refused the traditional luxuries of leadership. He had cheap furniture in the presidential residence, dressed simply, and even traveled via cargo plane. HIs policies, however, demonstrate the juxtaposition of ideals in power between reformists and conservatives. Largely considered a Ayatollah puppet by western governments, he heavily censored western media, advocated for gender segregated elevators, and demanded government men grow Islamic beards. To stay popular with the people, he advocated for women to attend sports games, and increased funding for social services. However, he failed to deliver on the promise of fixing the economic crisis; unemployment and inflation continued to rise. When the 2009 election came around, he won with a very controversial victory. Angered at the likelihood for vote manipulation, Iranians protested in mass numbers. Initially, protests were peaceful, but harsh crackdown from the President quickly turned them violent. After heavy censorship of media and up to 100 deaths, the government did manage to stop protests and he remained in power. His term saw hardline anti-western policy, the growth of Iran’s nuclear program, and heavy anti-Israel propaganda.